Princess Margaret Hospital was a public hospital in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand, run by the

Canterbury District Health Board The Canterbury District Health Board (Canterbury DHB or CDHB; ) was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand, north of the Rangitata River. It was responsibl ...

. It opened in 1959 and closed in 2024.

History

The hospital was built at the foot of the

Port Hills The Port Hills () are a range of hills in Canterbury Region of New Zealand, so named because they lie between the city of Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton. They are an eroded remnant of the Banks Peninsula Volcano ...

, at the western edge of the suburb of Cashmere. It was named after

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

, sister of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. The land was purchased from the Cracroft Wilson estate and the buildings designed by the Christchurch architectural partnership of Seward and Stanton. Charles Luney was chosen as the construction professional. The complex was opened by the then Governor-General of New Zealand,

Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham (8 August 1909 – 20 March 1977) was the List of Governors-General of New Zealand, ninth Governor-General of New Zealand and an English cricketer from the Lyttelton family. Background and education ...

. At one point, it was thought that it would become the main hospital for Christchurch. However, it was determined to be too far away from the city centre. The SEGAR block was opened on 31 August 1959 as a general hospital, but was later primarily used for older persons' health care and

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

services. It also housed much of the administration of Canterbury District Health Board.

South Island Eating Disorders Service and Mother's and babies

Princess Margaret Hospital had a regional service for people suffering from eating disorders, known as the South Island Eating Disorders Service. It was the only place in New Zealand with an in-patient unit specifically offering programmes to treat people with eating disorders. As well as a in-patient service for Mother's and babies.

References

External links

The Princess Margaret Hospital
– Canterbury District Health Board {{Authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1959 Buildings and structures in Christchurch Hospitals in New Zealand Hospitals established in 1959 1950s architecture in New Zealand Brutalist architecture in New Zealand Hospitals disestablished in 2024